Sara Liscomb waited for hours. Two hours to get in the door and another few hours on her feet inside the packed-to-capacity Kohl Center to see the man she hopes will be the next president. But she said the 30-minute speech from Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., was ?definitely worth it.?
?It was so awesome ? it was so intense,? the University of Wisconsin freshman said. ?He is such a good speaker; it?s insane.?
Obama spoke to a crowd that Students for Obama Wisconsin Coordinator Bryon Eagon said is the largest turnout for a presidential primary race in state history.
“This is our moment,? Obama said. ?This is our time, and where better to affirm our ideals than here in Wisconsin, where a century ago the progressive movement was born??
He also addressed the large population of enthusiastic students who turned out for the event.
?If students want to go on to college, they shouldn?t fear decades of debt,? Obama said, as he introduced a tuition aid package. ?I won?t give it for free, though. You?re going to have to invest in community service,? he added to swelling applause.
Obama?s message returned to the power of hope and the necessity for change throughout the night.
“Our dreams will not be deferred, and our future will not be denied, and our time for change has come,” he said.
Madison resident and UW alumna Sylla Zarod brought her two sons to the rally, waiting out in the snow for the doors to open.
?We?re looking for change ? he?s the voice for change,? Zarod said. ?I?m a teacher, so it?s a lot about schools. I?m concerned about choices for women, a better life for our kids and an end for the war.?
Obama acknowledged the challenges he would face if he reached the White House.
?I know it won?t be easy to provide health for all Americans. If it was easy, it would already be done,? Obama said. ?I know how hard it will be to improve our schools.?
Clare Zaimen-Keen said she wasn?t sure the wait to hear Obama was worth it.
?That was very, very irksome; I almost left,? she said. ?I was in the second to the last row.?
Zaimen-Keen, an undecided voter, said she loved Obama?s message of unification but is not completely sold.
?I?m a little concerned because my generation seems to be skipped in this election right now,? she said, adding college students and the elderly seemed to be getting the most attention from candidates. ?I?m in my 50s; I?m feeling left out.?
Eagon said he hopes the event energized students to volunteer and turn out to vote next Tuesday.
?We had an amazing night,? he said. ?The sheer attendance and enthusiasm showed by students was unbelievable.?
UW junior Jack Headland has been an Obama supporter since November.
?Anything Barack could say at this point would just get me to support him more,? Headland said. ?I just think he?s the first person in a long time who I think can actually inspire our country, much more than anyone else ever has.?
